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Steve Lichman #2
Steve Lichman - Volume 2
Life's tough when you're a lich, and Steve's is no different. Join Steven and his monster friends for their everyday lives down in the dungeon!
400 pages, Hardcover
Published July 1, 2018
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
October 16, 2019
The comedy was just as good as the first volume, and the plot lines were more developed, however this one just felt like it was missing something. I think maybe cause there actually was an overall plot line it lost some of the magic. I liked it more when it was just one offs.
August 15, 2018
It's been a few years since I read the first one, which I was a big fan of. The setting of an 'irl' DnD game, from the perspective of the monsters, continues to be interesting, but to me the second installment lacked a lot of the charm of the first.
Volume II is much more plot-driven (in that, there's an over-arching plot at all), where as the first felt more vignette-styled than episodic-styled. A format switch in-and-of itself doesn't bother me, but the way they chose to turn the story into a larger arc has me scratching my head. The motivations of the characters never feels like it makes sense, especially Steve's sudden 180 into being a pushover with no grounding morals; it's like nobody ever learns anything from their past experiences, which I get, it's a fantasy-world comic book—but that fact felt less out of place when each chapter was an individual story, vs. the larger arc they're trying to go with. Maybe I'm just getting older too, but the dick-joke humor seemed a lot less nuanced than previously, and felt at times like "oh, we've gone too long without saying 'fuck' and alluding to dicks, throw the reader a bone (pun intended)".
I'm still a fan of the art, though this time around the tight-shot got a bit boring—we've ventured out of the dungeon, so why not give the reader a sense of 'where' that is? They can draw, so give us some more, some environments, and scale, and interesting camera angles!
Overall, I guess I'd say I'm disappointed, but I'll still probably read the last one, because three looks better than two on a bookshelf
Volume II is much more plot-driven (in that, there's an over-arching plot at all), where as the first felt more vignette-styled than episodic-styled. A format switch in-and-of itself doesn't bother me, but the way they chose to turn the story into a larger arc has me scratching my head. The motivations of the characters never feels like it makes sense, especially Steve's sudden 180 into being a pushover with no grounding morals; it's like nobody ever learns anything from their past experiences, which I get, it's a fantasy-world comic book—but that fact felt less out of place when each chapter was an individual story, vs. the larger arc they're trying to go with. Maybe I'm just getting older too, but the dick-joke humor seemed a lot less nuanced than previously, and felt at times like "oh, we've gone too long without saying 'fuck' and alluding to dicks, throw the reader a bone (pun intended)".
I'm still a fan of the art, though this time around the tight-shot got a bit boring—we've ventured out of the dungeon, so why not give the reader a sense of 'where' that is? They can draw, so give us some more, some environments, and scale, and interesting camera angles!
Overall, I guess I'd say I'm disappointed, but I'll still probably read the last one, because three looks better than two on a bookshelf
July 27, 2018
Continues the story from the original, adding a lot more detail and events, along with a level of continuity the original did not have. I want to say it also had more seriousness, or at least more drama. The events that unfold are still ridiculous and infused with a level of deadpan humor, a lot of which is of a pretty dark nature.
June 22, 2019
It’s been awhile since I read the first book but I don’t remember the time being quite this caustic. So beware lots of TRIGGER WARNINGS in this book, often out of nowhere with little to motivate or support them.
The surprise abuse/bullying/rape/homophobia humor out of nowhere misses much more than it lands and it has me wanting to re-examine the first volume. For every moment that uses, let’s say, a homophobic character to reflect and parody such beliefs, there are several more immersion breaking turns into sexual abuse for no apparent use other than shock. In one moment a character’s heroic masculinity is explored as only having been a cover for his sexual insecurity to great effect, only for homosexual relationships to be wantonly mocked in the next page.
That being said the art is still fantastic and the greater story arc does have some redeeming themes concerning self deception and self realization. Most of the third act is pinnacle Lichman and made me remember how I fell in love for that first clever inversion of the classic hero-boss-encounter cliché. In fact I was laughing out loud as I read, a too rare treat in today’s comic world.
So ultimately a middle of the road review for me despite some excellent content. I just fear the way some of these topics are approached, specially their shock value nature, undermines the narrative’s core while distancing the book from the more diverse audience message clearly seems meant for. TL;DR hilarious book I can’t share with my partner.
The surprise abuse/bullying/rape/homophobia humor out of nowhere misses much more than it lands and it has me wanting to re-examine the first volume. For every moment that uses, let’s say, a homophobic character to reflect and parody such beliefs, there are several more immersion breaking turns into sexual abuse for no apparent use other than shock. In one moment a character’s heroic masculinity is explored as only having been a cover for his sexual insecurity to great effect, only for homosexual relationships to be wantonly mocked in the next page.
That being said the art is still fantastic and the greater story arc does have some redeeming themes concerning self deception and self realization. Most of the third act is pinnacle Lichman and made me remember how I fell in love for that first clever inversion of the classic hero-boss-encounter cliché. In fact I was laughing out loud as I read, a too rare treat in today’s comic world.
So ultimately a middle of the road review for me despite some excellent content. I just fear the way some of these topics are approached, specially their shock value nature, undermines the narrative’s core while distancing the book from the more diverse audience message clearly seems meant for. TL;DR hilarious book I can’t share with my partner.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 4, 2026
There were some truly great moments here in Vol 2, but there were also MANY more really really friggin' weird moments than in Vol 1 (especially the dream-guy who is a knight or maybe a cat or some kind of spider? trying to have sex with the multi-eyed blob stoner? what the hell?).
Then there's the homophobic, racist, ableist, fat-shaming characters. Some of this is depicted as clearly bad and the other characters push back (at least on the homophobia and racism). But the fat jokes never stop. And I was hoping we were over the R word by now, but here it's not only the moron characters who say it.
And the whole Kiefer storyline is getting dragged out so long; the 1st time someone had a chat about how Kiefer is an abusive bully it was really good, but when it happens the 3rd or 4th time and nothing has changed, I'm ready for some plot resolution.
Alas, Vol 2 ends on a cliffhanger and a promise of Vol 3... which hasn't materialized in the past decade. If Vol 3 ever shows up I'll be happy to read it. Until then, perhaps best to treat it like The Matrix:
That said, I really enjoyed the future visions, and the Neverending Story parody, and the sphinxes of truth, and the Game of Thrones parody, and the TNMT cameos. And I literally LOLed in the final chapter:
Then there's the homophobic, racist, ableist, fat-shaming characters. Some of this is depicted as clearly bad and the other characters push back (at least on the homophobia and racism). But the fat jokes never stop. And I was hoping we were over the R word by now, but here it's not only the moron characters who say it.
And the whole Kiefer storyline is getting dragged out so long; the 1st time someone had a chat about how Kiefer is an abusive bully it was really good, but when it happens the 3rd or 4th time and nothing has changed, I'm ready for some plot resolution.
Alas, Vol 2 ends on a cliffhanger and a promise of Vol 3... which hasn't materialized in the past decade. If Vol 3 ever shows up I'll be happy to read it. Until then, perhaps best to treat it like The Matrix:
That said, I really enjoyed the future visions, and the Neverending Story parody, and the sphinxes of truth, and the Game of Thrones parody, and the TNMT cameos. And I literally LOLed in the final chapter:
August 8, 2018
Catching up with our favorite, all-too-human D&D monsters, STEVE LICHMAN, VOL. 2 finds the characters dealing with petty jealousy, peer pressure, misguided 1980s Sunset Strip fashions, porn addiction, an organized crime syndicate run by a talking frog, a keytar-playing Bard, all-out war between dungeons, and the perils of ordering too much Meat Lover's Pizza from Pizza Hut. Along the way readers will find hilarious riffs on everything from THE LOST BOYS and Stephen King's IT to Disney's BEAUTY AND THE BEAST and Francis Ford Coppola's DRACULA.
Rapoza and Warren's humor is as sly and knowing as ever, and the art perfectly captures both detail and emotion. The storyline that has Ben the Beholder being pursued by a child molester was a little too much for me, but other than that I loved STEVE LICHMAN, VOL. 2 as much as VOL. 1. I just wish that A) these volumes came out more frequently, and B) they were widely available to the general readership and not just to Kickstarter donors. I personally know a lot of people who would love to read about Steve the big-hearted Lich King, Flay the sarcastic Mind Flayer, Ollie the deeply insecure Owlbear, and the rest of the gang if only they could find these books in bookstores!
Rapoza and Warren's humor is as sly and knowing as ever, and the art perfectly captures both detail and emotion. The storyline that has Ben the Beholder being pursued by a child molester was a little too much for me, but other than that I loved STEVE LICHMAN, VOL. 2 as much as VOL. 1. I just wish that A) these volumes came out more frequently, and B) they were widely available to the general readership and not just to Kickstarter donors. I personally know a lot of people who would love to read about Steve the big-hearted Lich King, Flay the sarcastic Mind Flayer, Ollie the deeply insecure Owlbear, and the rest of the gang if only they could find these books in bookstores!
December 1, 2018
Volume 2 of Steve Lichman picks up where Volume 1 left off. Dracula has been forced to leave his friends and he returns to his castle in Transylvania. While his staff is glad to have him back, the Count plunges into despair and becomes a compulsive over eater and gains more than 100 lbs.
Meanwhile back in the dungeon, Steve is still enthralled with Keifer, who is basically lying to Steve in order to take over. The plot moves in a few threads over the 400 pages of this book. Steve's friends, such as Flay leave and go join Dracula in his castle and we see how Steve eventually wakes to Keifer's machinations. We are left with a great cliff hanger and the promise of a third volume.
The book is as crazy and as funny as the first volume was. The quality of the art is maintained and overall it is a fast paced, funny and enjoyable read.
I supported the Kickstarter for Volume 1 and Volume 2. The hard cover books are bound in leather with quality stitch binding. The whole package from the presentation, to the story and art, is top notch. The characters and story are way above the formulaic superhero stuff churned out soullessly by Marvel and DC each month. Highly recommended.
Meanwhile back in the dungeon, Steve is still enthralled with Keifer, who is basically lying to Steve in order to take over. The plot moves in a few threads over the 400 pages of this book. Steve's friends, such as Flay leave and go join Dracula in his castle and we see how Steve eventually wakes to Keifer's machinations. We are left with a great cliff hanger and the promise of a third volume.
The book is as crazy and as funny as the first volume was. The quality of the art is maintained and overall it is a fast paced, funny and enjoyable read.
I supported the Kickstarter for Volume 1 and Volume 2. The hard cover books are bound in leather with quality stitch binding. The whole package from the presentation, to the story and art, is top notch. The characters and story are way above the formulaic superhero stuff churned out soullessly by Marvel and DC each month. Highly recommended.
April 26, 2020
This web comic has popped up on Imgur every once in a while, and I was excited to read it every time it showed up, even if it was the same 10 or 20 pages each time. I eventually checked out their website to read more of the comic, and found out they were running a Kickstarter campaign at that time, so of course I immediately supported it and excitedly waited for my two volumes to show up.
When I finally got around to reading them, it was with mixed results. The first volume was good, and contained a lot of story lines and humor similar to the ones that grabbed me in the first place, but it definitely seemed to meander and focus WAY too much on a character who wasn't part of the core group, and who wasn't particularly interesting or funny.
I was hoping after the first volume, the author would get back to the heart of the web comic that I fell in love with in the first place, but unfortunately the second volume seemed to follow in the boring, meandering story lines focusing on one or two characters in particular.
While the books themselves were beautiful, the content just didn't live up to my expectations.
When I finally got around to reading them, it was with mixed results. The first volume was good, and contained a lot of story lines and humor similar to the ones that grabbed me in the first place, but it definitely seemed to meander and focus WAY too much on a character who wasn't part of the core group, and who wasn't particularly interesting or funny.
I was hoping after the first volume, the author would get back to the heart of the web comic that I fell in love with in the first place, but unfortunately the second volume seemed to follow in the boring, meandering story lines focusing on one or two characters in particular.
While the books themselves were beautiful, the content just didn't live up to my expectations.
August 29, 2018
Man, this one was funny, but like... DAMN. This one had some REALLY serious issues: depression, abuse, bullying, self esteem all handled in a graphic novel about some DnD monsters that like to smoke pot and hook up with goth chicks. The first book had the same raunchy humor and some serious issues, but like, this one was much...heavier. Overall, the art stays amazing as always, but settle in for some heavier themes. This is also a big setup for the third book (hopefully just the third and not like, 10??) so there are some upcoming battles and badass scenes coming up.
Shout out to the arena scene where Dale kicks major ass though - that was badass. Also Flay is hilarious as usual.
Shout out to the arena scene where Dale kicks major ass though - that was badass. Also Flay is hilarious as usual.
April 23, 2019
I love the art in these books, and the concept is fantastic. I appreciate the Dungeons and Dragons and other pop culture references and humor (I especially enjoyed the Jaqen H'Ghar reference in Volume 2), but I do have a tough time connecting with a narrative when I find all of the characters so deeply unlikable. That being said, I hope Volume 3 sees Kiefer dispatched and Steve, Dracula, Flay and the rest experiencing some much needed self-reflection and character growth.
Also, Dale Lionheart is kind of my favorite character right now. I was not expecting that.
Also, Dale Lionheart is kind of my favorite character right now. I was not expecting that.
September 9, 2018
Volume 2 was a cohesive work of completely bonkers genius. Between all the homages to iconic films rested a genuinely sweet story of friendship marred by serious issues. Going into this I didn't expect such intense dialogue on depression and domestic abuse, but I'm glad that it took on a bit more of a serious and aware tone in comparison to the previous volume.
Again, the art was spectacular. A very enjoyable book.
Again, the art was spectacular. A very enjoyable book.
March 1, 2019
Instead of getting an amazing fantasy-comedy comic, Steve Lichman Vol. 2 is more of the first; awkward, jokes that don't land, tone confused drama and conversations you'd be having about friendship when you were nine years old. The most redeeming thing was the amazing art and the scenes where characters 'let loose', but it's more wasted on such a nothing, nonsense comic.
August 1, 2018
Getting to the end of this was sad because I wanted there to be more.
June 26, 2019
One of the funniest, heartfelt series I've ever read. The artwork is also phenomenal.
May 25, 2020
5. I need book 3 to be here now.
November 4, 2020
I really enjoyed most of volume one, but this whole arc is really off-putting... I was hoping it would end a chapter or two into volume two, but... it didn't even end by the end of the volume. :/
February 8, 2023
Steve Lichman continues to be absolutely stellar in it's execution in stylization and humor. I cannot wait for Volume 3
July 24, 2023
As with the first volume, it just didn't really click for me.
March 27, 2024
Not as good as the first book, but still funny and enjoyable in its own right
August 20, 2018
Sometimes -- okay a lot of the time -- you're going to wonder what the hell is going on. No, you didn't lose track of things, but things have gotten all sorts of weird. But that's okay, we're all in for this crazy ride and ultimately the deeper themes and quirky moments make it worth it.
October 26, 2019
Hilarious volume. I love this series
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews